Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexual abuse

Toronto court delivers verdict

Toronto, ON – Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Monday after being convicted of four counts of sexual assault. The attacks took place at his Toronto office building, with some incidents dating back decades.

The 11-year sentence was adjusted to take into account the time Nygard has already spent behind bars. As a result, he will have approximately 6.7 years left to serve and will be eligible for full parole after serving one-third of that time.

The trial and the conviction

Nygard, 83, was found guilty by a Toronto jury last November. He faced four counts of sexual assault, while a fifth count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement were dismissed. The six-week trial in Ontario Superior Court included testimony from five complainants. The women testified that Nygard assaulted them in a private bedroom on the top floor of his office building between the late 1980s and around 2005.

International charges and arrests

Nygard’s legal troubles aren’t limited to Canada. Canadian police arrested him in late 2020 at the request of the United States, where he’s accused of using his businesses to lure women and girls for sexual exploitation. About a year later, Toronto police filed charges against him.

Additionally, Nygard is accused of sexual abuse and forcible confinement in Manitoba and Quebec. He is also fighting extradition to the U.S., where he is charged in New York with nine federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit racketeering, transportation of a minor for purposes of prostitution, and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.

A fall from grace

Born in Finland and raised in the Canadian province of Manitoba, Peter Nygard eventually ran his eponymous clothing company and became one of the richest individuals in the country. However, his success story has taken a dark turn.

“Peter Nygard is a sexual predator. He is also a Canadian success story gone terribly wrong,” Judge Robert Goldstein said Monday. “He used his wealth and his power to commit four sexual assaults.”

Peter Nygard’s conviction marks a major chapter in a long-running legal saga. As he battles additional charges in both Canada and the United States, the future of the once-prominent fashion mogul remains uncertain.